Korea's first European league direct high school student decided to go to the V League in a surprise move, who will take him?
Oct 21, 2025
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The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) will hold the 2025-2026 Men's Rookie Draft at the Mayfield Hotel in Seoul on the 27th. A total of 49 people will participate in the draft, including 27 college graduates, 13 first to third graders, and 6 high school graduates.
In the university department, middle blocker Lim Dong-kyun of Hanyang University and Inha University's Apogit Spiker-Middle Blocker Son Yoo-min stand out, while among those who are scheduled to graduate from high school, outside heater Bang Kang-ho of Jecheon Industrial High School and Lee Joon-ho, an Apogit Spiker of Jecheon Industrial High School, who played a double role in the 2025 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Under-19 World Championship, are interested in which club will be selected.
The biggest interest is Lee Woo-jin. Lee Woo-jin, a 1m95 outside heater born in 2005, joined Vero Balli Monza, an Italian first division team, shortly after graduating from Gyeongbuk Sports High School. It is the first time in history that he went straight to the European league as a Korean high school player.
Lee Woo-jin started as a trainee in the high-level Italian league and even signed a formal contract, playing with world-class star players and gaining experience. However, Lee Woo-jin, who left Monza in May this year due to various circumstances within the team, was summoned to the national team and has been considering his future course of action. There was also a possibility of transferring to other teams in the European League. However, he eventually decided to participate in the V League draft, and played in his home country league.
Lee Woo-jin, who is considered the `biggest fish,' is likely to be named the No. 1 overall pick. The order of draft picks is in reverse order based on last season's final ranking. The order of nomination will be publicly drawn with 35% probability of the lowest OK Savings Bank, 30% of KEPCO, 20% of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, 8% of Woori Card, 4% of KB Insurance, 2% of Korean Air, and 1% of Hyundai Capital.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
